About Us

About Algonquin Books

In 1983,
Algonquin Books set up shop in a woodshed behind cofounder Louis Rubin’s Chapel
Hill, NC, home. He and Shannon Ravenel founded Algonquin as an independent
press devoted to publishing literary fiction and nonfiction by undiscovered
writers, mostly from the South. And from its very first books Algonquin
garnered national attention, with authors—including Julia Alvarez, Jill
McCorkle, Robert Morgan, Larry Brown, and, later, Lee Smith—who earned great
acclaim and devoted fans.

Acquired by
Workman in 1989, Algonquin expanded to include offices in both New York City
and Chapel Hill, while holding true to its founding principles to publish
quality narrative work that stimulates, enriches, and entertains readers.
Algonquin has earned international recognition with numerous bestsellers, in
both fiction—including Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, Gabrielle
Zevin’s The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, B. A. Shapiro’s The Art Forger, and
Robert Goolrick’s A
Reliable Wife—and nonfiction,
including Amy Stewart’s The
Drunken Botanist and Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods. In
2013, Algonquin launched the Algonquin Young Readers imprint featuring
middle grade and young adult books.